GP commissioning tsar: ‘We don’t want clinicians turning into not very good managers’

By Gareth Iacobucci

GPs will not be forced to take on hands-on management roles in newly established GP consortia, the Government's commissioning tsar has said.

Addressing delegates at a joint NHS Alliance/RCGP commissioning event in London, Dame Barbara Hakin attempted to reassure GP delegates over how their role would develop under commissioning arrangements.

Ms Hakin said only a small number of GPs would hold senior management roles, with the majority free to concentrate on clinical responsibilities.

She said: ‘My feeling is, lots of practices will simply be members of consortia. A number will want to take the lead role, [and] a small number will want to have something of a more managerial role.'

‘But for the majority, back-office commissioning functions will be brought in from somewhere else. We don't want clinicians turning into not very good managers'.

Dame Barbara said the Government would not act prescriptively on size, accountability or governance arrangements of consortia, but said she expected that some may decide to farm out all their commissioning functions to third parties.

‘It's not inconceivable that some consortia will do very little for themselves and discharge all of their commissioning support functions,' she said.

Ms Hakin added that there would be a cap on how much consortia can spend on management costs, but said the numbers were ‘still being worked through'.

A top line-up of expert speakers – including Andrew Lansley, Sir David Nicholson and Mark Britnell - will be addressing the latest developments in GP commissioning at the NAPC Annual Conference in Birmingham in October.

To find out more and book your place today please click here.